QUITE FRANKLY: Ca-NO Longer Welcomed Here

Robinson Cano made his return to the Bronx last night and much was made about the reaction he was given by the crowd at Yankee Stadium. I was one of those in attendance to see Robbie's return. So was about 15,000 other people braving the atrocious weather Tuesday night.

I don't see why a big deal was made. Like any other athlete who leaves in their prime to go to another team, Cano was booed. Ok, ok so it was a little more than just a couple boos.

Everyone in the entire ballpark came last night, sat in frigid temperatures and endured annoying rain drops just to come together as one to mercifully jeer Robinson Cano. They (we) had every right to do so.

For one, I booed him because he left my favorite team. He left my team when he could have been a huge piece to a World Series championship contender this year and for years to follow. People have argued that the portion of the crowd calling Robbie a sell-out is hypocritical. The Yankees have over the years over paid and bought a collection of superstars from other teams in hopes of regaining the dynastic years of the late 90's. To that, I agree. Cano went for more money and a more secure future in Seattle for 3 years and $65 million more than what the Yankees offered.

Let's be honest, we would of all done the same. We all go to the higgest bidder and we're all told we should get out of our comfort zone so we can cash in on our skills and talents. Not many times do we go with the "hometown discount" we all thought Cano would take.

“It was business for the Yankees and business for myself,” Cano said. “They made their decision and I made mine and we’re both happy.”
Robbie Cano left the Yankees for more money. A statement that no Yankee fan or anyone thought they would ever hear. It's unprecendented. The best player on the Yankees gave up the chance to be the face of the franchise, be paid like a boss and then some, a chance to be one of the all-time Yankee greats and a chance to be the next generation's Derek Jeter. None of that mattered. The only thing that did.... $$$$$$. That's the business decision Cano and his agent Jay-Z made. Not a smart one if you ask me.

With Jeter in his final season, the Yankees are looking for their next superstar. Cano was that guy. According to the ratings last season and the low attendance the Yankees received while the collection of superstars were injured during the majority of last season told the Yankees the bigger picture. While Cano was clearly the best player on the team, he clearly was no superstar, and he clearly wasn't worth the extra money and years that Seattle ultimately gave him. I'd say let him walk. The Yankees made the right decision. They did what was best for business.


Still as no. 22 Robinson Cano was announced with each at-bat, every second he had the spotlight on him, he was booed out of the Bronx. He fielded a ground ball, he paused for a second and effortlessly threw to first base to record the out, he was booed and booed and booed. Cano quickly upon his depature to Seattle was stricken with the notion he didn't hustle. One game years ago saw Cano not run out a routine ground ball. Yankees manager Joe Girardi saw enough and benched Cano for his lack of hustle. Since then, it's something that was held against Cano. Why? Because the Captain Derek Jeter always ran hard down the first base line..on every play. He's the standard in New York. Fair or not, it is what it is. Cano has put up MVP like numbers for the last 4, 5 years with only 1 World Series to show.

That is the telling tale of it all. One championship in nine seasons. That's considered a failure in the Bronx. The best player on the team needs to do better than that. He did...he left and took more years and more money from a different team. Who could blame him? Oh right, all of Yankee Stadium did Tuesday night.
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Tar Wars

Michael Pineda will have a lot of time to think about where he should put the pine tar as he gets ejected from the game and will likely face lengthy suspension as a result.

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Photo of the Day: April 22nd!

Derek Jeter slides into third base safely in Tuesday night's win over the Red Sox.

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A 'Bury Good Night at Fenway

A triple, a double, a nice catch in center, and a Yankees win sums up the night Jacoby Ellsbury had in his return to Boston on Tuesday night.

Ellsbury showed Boston he still has the goods
Not to be outdone Masahiro Tanaka pitched 7 1/3 innings in his Fenway debut allowing two homers in the 3rd inning but regained his composure and struck out 7. He's now 3-0 2.15 ERA on the season. The last time Tanaka saw a defeat? Back in 2012!

Derek Jeter added a couple of RBI singles, while Carlos Beltran added another home run in the Fenway rout.

The Yankees are 4-1 against the Red Sox , a stark contrast to the 6-13 record they had against their rivals all of 2013.
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Some news and notes for tonight's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park:


- David Robertson will be available to pitch as he was activated from the 15-day DL. To make room on the roster the Yankees optioned optioning Matt Daley and Bryan Mitchell down to the minors.
**Interesting to see how Robertson fairs in his new role as closer in Boston. This will be one of the major tests David will see this year in his first year replacing Mariano Rivera as closer.

- Jacoby Ellsbury makes his return to Fenway for the first time since leaving Beantown shortly after winning the World Series last October. I'll be looking forward to seeing how the Fenway faithful react to Jacoby's return.

- Tonight also marks Masahiro Tanaka's debut in Boston. This will certainly be watched closely as this start will give the Yankees an idea early on if the Japanese right hander has the makeup deserving of that huge contract given in the offseason. I'm predicting 6 innings, 3 runs, 6 hits, 6 strikeouts with a no decision for Tanaka tonight.
"I'm sure that the fans will be heated up a bit," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "I've seen the two teams play (on TV), and I understand there's a rivalry between the two teams going into the game. It should be a good experience going up on the mound that day and I'm very much looking forward to it."

- Derek Jeter is going into tonight's game with a 10 game hitting streak.
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The #OnTheBlockNY blog is back! After a few years away and concentrating on other ventures (Chasing800 and ChasingRecords) I am proud to announce the revival of this blog. I will do as much as I can to keep it fresh and new.
If you would like to contribute with an article or promote, please email me at NYYanksDynasty@MSN.com. As always the mission is to win another World Series for the Bronx Bombers, it will be my mission to try and follow along with them and give my insight. I will be adding new features in the coming days. Any suggestions or recommendation's is always welcomed.
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